DANIEL S. POTASHARCH 598 - SUMMER 2013

ecoREHAB design/buildDEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTUREBALL STATE UNIVERSITY

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DAY 1 - 6.17.13

DAY 2 - 6.19.13

DAY 3 - 6.21.13

Summary of daily activities: • Course summary and description • General project overview • Start drywall

Summary of daily activities: • Continue drywall • Fence picket installation

Summary of daily activities: • Back deck sanding and cleaning for stain prep • Removal of fence bracing • Continuation of drywall

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WEEK 1 SUMMARY

ecoREHAB

I will admit, when I signed up for this class I was worried that I would be working on similar tasks to what I have done before. I found that to be a wrong assumption very quickly.

This was the first time I had been back to the project house in awhile, and I was surprised at what I saw. Not only did the house look great from the inside and out, but some of the houses around it also seemed to have improved. This I think has become an indirect influence of ecoREHAB’s work around the city. Not only does it increase the appeal of a specific home, but it helps to bring home ownership and pride to the adjacent lots.

After a quick meeting in the previous home, we all moved over to the new project house and jumped into the drywall process. I quickly remembered that working on older homes makes for a tough (yet still fun) time. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, in this house seems to be square or straight. During the original construction the lath and plaster allowed for minor defects in the framing, but drywall isn’t as forgiving. It seems that sometimes hanging the simplest of pieces proves to be the toughest task.

When walking to the site on Friday, one of the neighbors was out for his morning smoke. He yelled good morning to me as I walked by, and I of course responded. He then went on to ask how the house was coming. It made me wonder what the local residents think about ecoREHAB and about students coming to work on houses in their neighborhood. I look forward to the community meeting next week to see what they say.

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WEEK 1 PHOTOS

Gharkey Street House<<<Located across the street from the last project house, this will be the spot where our session of work will occur.

Fence Picket Installation>>>

Nick, Nate nor I had ever installed a fence before. It

took us a few pickets to get into a rhythm, but we eventually came up with a process that allowed us to become very streamlined.

Instead of measuring each picket individually, we simply

flipped a new one over and measured based on the

previous.

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Back Porch Sanding>>>

When we first started, we thought a simple cleaning

would be enough to prep the deck for staining. After further

investigation, we ended up sanding the entire deck.

Back Porch Sanding Prep<<<To allow us to sand properly, we had to go through and tighten most of the screws. While they would have been fine for just a stain, they needed to be set in a little further for the sanding.

Drywall Installation<<<Before we could all move any further on in the interior, we needed to complete hanging drywall. This ended up being a very lengthy process.

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DAY 4 - 6.24.13

DAY 5 - 6.26.13

DAY 6 - 6.28.13

Summary of daily activities: • Continuation of drywall • Begin drywall mudding

Summary of daily activities: • Sealing holes in attic

Summary of daily activities: • Sanding and patching drywall mud

MEETING - 6.25.13Summary of daily activities: • Old West End Neighborhood Meeting

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WEEK 2 SUMMARYThe Old West End

This week was mainly a continuation of last weeks works, more and more drywall. I also had the opportunity to jump up (not literally) into the attic to fill in any holes and penetrations. I learned that one of the leading losses of energy/air in a home is around any electrical box in the ceiling. I had never thought about it but it makes perfect sense.

On Monday, Jonathan turned to me and asked how long I thought a skilled team (2) of drywallers would take to finish the home. I guessed 1-1.5 days, which he agreed was right. This kind of work really makes me appreciate the skilled workers that get hired onto jobs. I am sure after time you get better, but like anything it really seems it is an art form. During the course of my internship this last semester I was lucky enough to be the project architect for a two floor hospital renovation. I was amazed to see how fast the crews worked between our weekly site construction meetings. Working with similar tasks now gives me an even higher appreciation for their work.

The highlight of the week for me was the Old West End Neighborhood Meeting. It started out just as I thought any neighborhood association meeting would. They talked about what is currently happening and what is planned for the future. A few of the residents expressed concerns about drug and landlord issues, all to me seem like pretty typical discussions.

They then opened the floor to questions and conversations. Jonathan also opened the floor to the residents to ask us questions. I was

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WEEK 2 cont.

happily surprised to hear that the residents are thankful for the work we all do. They said that it helps to provide a sense of community near the homes we touch. They also appreciate seeing the campus getting involved in the communities around it. It has always surprised me that the surrounding areas don’t tap more into the very valuable resource that is Ball State.

It really seems that this and many other communities around Ball State get a bad name and reputation. While there are some “rough” areas, there are also many other areas that are rapidly changing. Even in the 5 years that I have been in the area I have seen many improvements and changes. I also appreciated how open the association was in discussing issues and problems in the area. While I could tell they were trying to avoid discussing certain things, they still allowed all the residents to express any concerns and issues.

The morning following the meeting, at the beginning of class, we discussed what we all thought about the meeting. We then went on to discuss the process of how ecoREHAB obtains a house to work on. I never realized how lengthy of a process it actually is, also how legal it becomes! It does make sense that you wouldn’t want the local government to just walk around and pick up properties to give away to non-profit organizations. At the same time it seems there should be a way to streamline the process. Since the houses have to sit through many different sales and waiting periods, they often become dilapidated beyond repair during the process. It just proves that in this type of business you have to have patience and persistence.

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WEEK 2 PHOTOS

Drywall Taping and Mudding^^^>>>Since all the drywall has been installed, the next step in the process is to tape and mud all the joints and screw holes. I still can’t call myself anywhere near an expert in this process, but I became better as time went on. While it isn’t the prettiest job, it will eventually be sanded and painted over. The key has been to fill all the areas with the least amount of excess.

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DAY 4 - 7.1.13

DAY 5 - 7.3.13

DAY 6 - 7.5.13

Summary of daily activities: • Prepping and laying bathroom floor tile

Summary of daily activities: • Cutting and prepping bathroom tile

Summary of daily activities: • No Class - Holiday

WORK DAY - 7.2.13Summary of daily activities: • Painting kitchen and living room

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WEEK 3 SUMMARY

Skilled Workers

This week again got me thinking about skilled workers. I spent the entire week working on different finishes ranging from tile to paint. While I have done these tasks before, it has been awhile and my skills have gotten rather rusty.

As I discussed before, it is strange to think about how fast professional crews would fly though this home. While some tasks require more drying time than others, professional crews would be done in just a few days. I also witnessed the work of professional crews during the installation of the gas line to the house. It seems like a tough task to find and connect to an existing gas line while avoiding obstacles such as sidewalks and streets, the crew flew through the task. They worked like a well oiled machine, knowing what each other was doing at all times.

The efficiency in the design also seems to affect the speed at which work can be finished. Jonathan talked about being able to find the balance between “crazy” design and efficient good design. I think finding that balance is extremely important, especially when it comes to rehabbing houses. These homes need to appeal to the mass market and allow for easy quick sales. Much of this comes back to finding the correct balance in design. Not only does this balance affect the marketability but also the buildability.

These ideas also lead me to believe that this type of class is a great idea for students, especially design students. It helps to demonstrate the need to think about design from many different angles, especially how the design is to be constructed.

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WEEK 3 PHOTOS

Bathroom Floor Tile ^^^It has been awhile since I have done any tile work. When talking things over we decided to go with an offset joint pattern. Not only does this give a more dynamic look, it is actually easier to set. It doesn’t require perfectly straight grout joints.

^^^

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Wall/Ceiling Paint^^^While I have painted before, I wasn’t ever really taught any techniques for good painting. I also learned about cutting in around the ceilings. It does seem to take patience and practice, but if you take your time you can get a really nice result. After a few hours of painting yellow, it seemed that was all I could see!

^^^

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DAY 4 - 7.8.13

DAY 5 - 7.10.13

DAY 6 - 7.12.13

Summary of daily activities:

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WEEK 4 SUMMARY

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WEEK 4 PHOTOS

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DAY 4 - 7.15.13

DAY 5 - 7.17.13

DAY 6 - 7.19.13

Summary of daily activities:

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Summary of daily activities:

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WEEK 5 SUMMARY

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WEEK 5 PHOTOS

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Daniel S. Potash, Assoc. AIAGraduate Student

Ball State UniversityCollege of Architecture and Planning